I've been trying it in the corridor (I'm at work - I've long since given up worryign about what my colleagues think )and I think I do something similar myself without knowing it - thinking about it though will help me develop and I will see if I can really make it swing....

Thank goodness! This is one of the things I figured out with your help and yours alone Dora! It was when you told me to "walk" to the music and use that as a foundation for all movement. So I really dwelled on that took out any action I was doing that impeded with the feeling of "walking". Suddenly dancing just seemed like the most natural thing to do and nothing feels more natural to me now (not even walking or standing!). The heels, toes, contra-body movements, etc., all feel more natural to me than walking!

My dear SG, I just gave you a tool to use. You were the one that used it. You can have a great teacher, even a master but if the student is not doing what is suggested, then it doesn't matter what kind of teacher you have in front of you and what the teacher said. As a teacher, all we do is provide information. It is totally up to each student, how and when that information is used. There will always be students that see the information as being life changing information, other student that see the information as being just information and yet others have heard the information before and therefore don’t really hear it. You heard it and did something with the information. You choose to change your life with the information. You found the life changing information in the message and change your life. Well done.

Quote

I had to go out on a limb to disagree with Elise because what you described Elise is what every single coach has described to me. So one month ago I would've agreed with you whole heartedly. However, a few weeks ago I decided to confront something that I always noticed but didn't take to heart: a contradition in my coaches' description of what they were doing versus the energy I was feeling from them when they danced. When I finally reconciled the difference between there description and their action, it was evident that they were describing what I was seeing but not what they were doing (if that makes any sense).

It is difficult to teach, what is really done in a simple manner. You have learned to “see” through the talk (chatter) and only hear what is needed in order to do. You understand the illusion and different between seeing, feeling and doing. You have done really well.

Quote

I'm still getting flak about this from my partner and coaches (and anyone else I dare try to discuss this with) even 'though my partner and coach already do this naturally. They are very excited that my dancing has improved, but they disagree with my explanation of how I achieve my action. So I was really surprised when I read your response Dora. You seem to be the only person that gets me!

You are beginning to understand the actions and what is discussed at a professional semifinal and final level (even if you can’t do it as of yet). I don’t want to sound snobbish here but let’s face it. How many of your coaches have danced at world class level (professional finalist), retired and then gone back to figure out what really happens? I bet none or only one or two. As I told you before, you are not supposed to know this as of yet . I will tell you that, if you were to sit and talk dancing with a group of professionals from the Body School of Thought, you would totally hear your explanation come out of just about every person’s mouth. You are not alone, believe you me, you are not alone.

The proof of a principle rarely takes much time - if it does you have to question whether its the most important principle to consider first.

The change in my dancing since the insights of dancepro on DF, those of new-pro in my lessons and your own here have resulted in dramatic and virtually instant transformations not only in my dancing but also in that with my AM partner (who has yet to take a lesson with pro) such that I think it is hard to imagine that I am the same dancer I was just a few months ago. I take this as self-evident evidence that the principles I am dealing with now truly are the ones that are most important at my dancing stage.

The proof of a principle rarely takes much time - if it does you have to question whether its the most important principle to consider first.

I very much agree with you on that idea. If I could see changes soon after a principle were introduced, it had to be a principle worth working on.

Quote

The change in my dancing since the insights of dancepro on DF, those of new-pro in my lessons and your own here have resulted in dramatic and virtually instant transformations not only in my dancing but also in that with my AM partner (who has yet to take a lesson with pro) such that I think it is hard to imagine that I am the same dancer I was just a few months ago. I take this as self-evident evidence that the principles I am dealing with now truly are the ones that are most important at my dancing stage.

I am happy and honored to have been able to help you on the way in your quest to improve your dancing. When you are working with, what I would call “the Grand Principles”, then you do see a virtual instant transformation in what you do. I have seen students that have taken these principles and virtually change and become great dancer over night. It is wonders, surprising and puzzling all at the same time how some dancers take the principles and create amazing feats with the information. As I said to SG, you are also to applaud or pad yourself on your back. You took the information of the principles and created a change with it/them. The information is there for everybody to see and use. You used it to create a new level of dancing. Well done, and keep up the good work.

So here's the report. I arrived half an hour early for the lessons this afternoon with new-pro - here I'll just report on our current theme - how to move. Before the lesson I played around with the idea of swinging through after collapsing. I could not get it to work. We started thje lesson doing tango - but I could not hold back and asked what to do after the 'feint' (the first step lady going forward) and how I had to use a lot of energy to then rise up. He explained that the after the first step I had to swing my leg faster and that would bring me back up. I tried it an dit worked, at least sort of.

He then told me I was missing an important element and that was stretching my spine (this made little sense but I know enough now to just listen!) We then spent half an hour on my upper body - how to stretch my spine (that will have to be later), how to reach up with my arms. We then tried FT again - it was nothing short of a total revelation and change. I suddenly got it. The man leads through the base of my spine; my legs joints operate totally loosely - and the there was absolutely no effort, just delicious motion accross the floor being free while being led.

Its most astonishing that every lesson I feel as if I am a totally different dancer. Things that I used to worry about - steps, maintaining contact, frame etc etc - they are still there but they are also so trivial to the fusion of two people dancing together...